50: Chapter 50 The gatekeeper has been found. The talent is about to be spread...

In the dorm room, the aroma of meat filled the air.

Except for Lin Qing, no one noticed that divine will.

The girls gathered in small groups, quietly discussing those open-style small clothes Lin Qing had brought back.

Meanwhile, Lin Qing's consciousness settled on the beast-eared girl trapped in his contract space.

With a thought, he released Mo Lingxue from the space.

“Grrr—”

The moment she hit the ground and saw Lin Qing, a threatening low growl issued from Mo Lingxue's throat.

The long, fluffy tail behind her pulled straight as a rod, like a steel whip ready to strike.

“You!”

She had only uttered a single word when a searing pain originating from her soul forced her to swallow the rest of her words back.

“Look at me with those eyes again, and I'll gouge out your eyeballs.”

Lin Qing's tone was as calm as if he were talking about the nice weather today.

Seeing the beast-eared girl quiet down, he then pointed toward the dorm room's yinshen skeleton gate.

“From today on, you live here.”

Mo Lingxue looked in the direction he was pointing and froze.

Live... on the door?

“Got an objection?” Lin Qing raised an eyebrow.

“I am the Princess of the Black Sea—”

“Slap!”

Before she could finish, Lin Qing backhanded her right on her perky rear.

The sound was crisp and clear.

The main hall fell dead silent in an instant, fourteen pairs of eyes swiveling over in unison.

The gazes were a mix of novelty and curiosity.

Some girls' eyes even held an inexplicable trace of envy.

Mo Lingxue stiffened, her cool, beautiful face turning bright red—whether from rage or shame was hard to tell.

“You are my contracted beast now, not some bullshit princess.”

Lin Qing pulled his hand back, his voice turning a bit colder. “This door can gather Yin qi, which benefits you too. For now, you're responsible for being the door guardian. If anything approaches, give an early warning.”

Mo Lingxue bit her lower lip, a misty haze filling her golden slit pupils.

She glared at Lin Qing, but ultimately turned into a cloud of black mist and merged into the giant Skeleton Gate.

The intricate patterns in the center of the Skeleton Gate suddenly flickered with two faint points of golden light, slowly scanning the darkness outside before fading away.

“All set.”

Lin Qing turned around. “Everyone's full, right? Then get some rest early.”

Everyone nodded and dispersed to their own spots.

An Muxi hadn't been idle over the past four days either; using the expanded dorm room space, she had partitioned off a tiny individual bedroom of five or six square meters for each girl.

Although simple, it finally gave them private space.

The girls chattered as they returned to their respective rooms, preparing to enjoy a peaceful sleep.

Lin Qing was also preparing to head back to his private room.

“Lin Qing, wait a moment.”

Lin Qing looked back and saw Bai Nian walking over, leading Su Mengmeng, who looked bewildered and clueless about what was happening.

“Mengmeng is sleeping with you tonight.”

As the words fell, the air froze.

Su Xixi, who was just about to close her door, stiffened abruptly.

On the other side, An Mumu had just leaned half her body out to say goodnight to Lin Qing, and the coquettish smile on her face froze as well.

Lin Qing was even more stunned where he stood. “Class Rep, you...”

Bai Nian interrupted him, “The rankings have already unlocked. Everyone out there will be watching us!”

“Sailing against the current, if we don't advance, we recede. Our only advantage right now is the talent combination between you and Mengmeng.”

Her gaze swept over everyone present, her voice not loud, but every word crystal clear.

“Mengmeng's [Yin-Yang Grand Dao] could grant her gains every single time. This is the only way for our dorm to raise its potential, and it's also the most efficient method.”

She paused, then added at last, “This has nothing to do with anything else. It's all so that we can survive better.”

That speech was airtight, blocking any possible rebuttal before it could even begin.

Su Xixi's lips twitched, but she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

She bit her lip hard, turned her head away, her shoulders trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Reason told her that Bai Nian was right.

Yet the sourness and sharp ache in her heart almost suffocated her.

Forget it, with extra power, Lin Qing will be safer, she told herself in her heart.

“I can also...” An Mumu spoke up unwillingly, her voice carrying a trace of urgency.

“You?” Bai Nian looked at her, her eyes calm to the point of being cruel. “The potential of 'Kindling' lies in the future. We can't afford to wait.”

An Mumu's shoulders slumped, and she retreated dejectedly back into her room.

Su Mengmeng's little face turned bright red, her hands twisting her clothes in anxiety, looking at Lin Qing as if pleading for help.

Lin Qing walked up to Su Mengmeng, ignoring the complex gazes around them, and asked softly, “What do you think?”

Su Mengmeng raised her head, looking into Lin Qing's gentle eyes, and nodded lightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

“I... I'm willing!”

“Alright.” Lin Qing rubbed her head. “Then let's go.”

He took Su Mengmeng's hand and, under everyone's complex stares, walked into the single room.

“Bang.”

The door closed.

In the hallway, Su Xixi slammed her fist hard against the doorframe, making a muffled thud.

Bai Nian watched the tightly shut door, her cold face showing not the slightest ripple, though her hand resting at her side curled up unconsciously.

...

Midnight, twelve o'clock.

[Warning: The area-wide Cold Disaster has fully descended!]

[Current Temperature: -40℃!]

Whoosh—!

The bone-chilling cold wind seemed to penetrate everywhere, pouring wildly through the cracks of the doors and windows.

A layer of white frost rapidly condensed on the walls of the dormitory.

In the main hall, three small furnaces burned glowing red, yet they could barely maintain the room temperature a few degrees below zero.

The girls under the covers shivered violently from the cold, instinctively curling into balls.

The next morning.

Lin Qing announced the decision to take two days off.

The reason given was that under the Cold Disaster, taking risks to go out was too dangerous.

It was better to wait at ease, digest their gains, and let An Muxi study the new blueprints in the meantime.

No one raised an objection.

Only Lin Qing knew in his own heart that he was wary of that damned Lord of the Black Sea.

[Hometown's Solicitude] only granted immunity to "Instant Death" attacks above Legendary rank, but it never said it granted immunity to non-instant death attacks.

He had enslaved his offspring; if that guy threw caution to the wind and attacked, even if Teacher Liu blocked him, it would inevitably affect her fusion process.

Before Teacher Liu completely stabilized, playing it safe was the best strategy.

Over those two days, the dorm room was surprisingly quiet.

During the day, the girls took turns using the bone whistle to farm Goblins and practice combat skills.

At night, they gathered around the furnace, listening to An Muxi explain the architectural blueprints.

...

Time slipped quietly by.

Today was the morning of Lin Qing's third day back.

It was also the day Su Mengmeng's talent propagation took effect.

Early in the morning, Su Xixi was fidgety and unable to sit still.

Her eyes flicked toward Su Mengmeng from time to time, and she nervously touched her own chest.

Who would it be?

Would it be me?

She swallowed hard nervously, feeling as if her heart were about to leap out of her throat.

It wasn't just her; several other girls in the dorm also acted somewhat uneasy, their eyes constantly meeting and quickly darting away.

At the same time.

On the vermilion door of Room 9014, which had been silent for several days, the bloody “Double Happiness” character on the door quietly lit up.

Inside the door, a pair of gentle eyes slowly opened.

Teacher Liu had awakened.